Shasta Landscaping Inc., located in San Marcos has announce the completion of its latest project, a green roof at the Charles David Keeling Apartments at Revelle College, University of California, San Diego.
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and planted over a waterproof casing. Green roofs help absorb rainwater, reduce heat, provide insulation, create a habitat for wildlife and help lower urban air temperatures.
“This green roof is one of only a hand full of commercial green roofs in San Diego County,” said Paul Tilley, vice president, Shasta Landscaping Inc. “Our team was excited to work on and complete such a forward-thinking and innovative project. Not only will the roof help the school save money with heating, cooling and water costs, but it is a beautiful addition that adds more living and studying space for the students.”
A green roof involves multiple steps to protect the overall integrity of the building. First, Shasta Landscaping placed a root barrier down to ensure that the plants’ roots do not grow through the roof. A moisture mat was installed next as additional protection and to retain moisture for the garden above. Then Shasta created aluminum planter boxes, placed them across the roof of the building, added a drainage layer and installed filter fabric and a drip irrigation system. Finally, more than 4,000 drought tolerant succulents, flowering plants and low-spreading shrubs such as English Stonecrop, Reflexed Stonecrop and Snow-in-Summer were planted in a special soil mix of well-aged compost, lava rock and course sand. All the water used for the roof garden is recycled on site and reused for irrigation. Additionally, all residents’ water from laundry, sinks and showers is collected and reused for irrigation too.
“This was our first green roof project and it was a great experience for our team,” added Tilley. “The roof is beautiful and will have a tremendous impact on the energy consumption used by the building and its residents. We look forward to working on another green roof in the near future.”
